BlackBerry launched two brand new handsets this week, the Z10 and the Q10 and already some of our favourite brands are designing cases and accessories to ensure your sparkly new handsets are safe and stylish.

Here's our pick of the first few good-looking Z10 cases, expect more to come over the next few weeks...

Related: REVIEW: BlackBerry Z10 smartphone with BB10 operating system (Tech Digest)

Twitter's new video sharing app Vine was only officially launched last week and we're already all creating short, silly clips of everything from our cooking exploits, ridiculous faces, morning commutes and lots of filthy porn too apparently.

As you'd expect from a brand new service there are those who aren't convinced and are being very vocal about it, labelling Vine a boring fad, but we're all about embracing new services, especially if they offer something a bit different and there are ways to avoid the naughty bits...

So here are five reasons why we love Twitter's new video app so far:

1. It's just so easy to use

If you really need it there's a quick walkthrough that shows you how to record your first Vine, but to be honest it's so simple and intuitive that we're confident you'll get it straight away. Just press the camera button and hold your finger down when you want to record something. You can do it all in one go or little chunks. You're then taken to a screen much like Instagram's, which allows you to add a caption, add a location or share with your social networks. Simple.

2. You can become a stop motion pro (kinda)

We've seen some pretty clever vines so far (we're calling the videos vines, that's OK, right?), but the ones that are particularly making us laugh are those that use basic stop motion animation in order to make things that don't move MOVE ON THEIR OWN. Admittedly these are the kinds of silly tactics that have made some people roll their eyes at the new app, but we just can't get enough of inanimate objects dancing around at the moment. Ask us in a week and we'll probably have a little cry about it.

3. Seamless Twitter integration (obviously)

Vine has been created by the team at Twitter, so as you'd expect there's seamless integration, which makes it really easy to upload to the micro-blogging platform, you can see vines within your stream and to embed a vine elsewhere you can easily just take the same steps you would have in the past to embed a tweet.

4. There's a sense of community already

Vine has been made by Twitter, but there are already plenty of people using Vine on its own and not necessarily sharing their creations with their Twitter followers every single time. Although we're encouraged to share our vines elsewhere (and many of us already do), just like Instagram we think we'll see circles of those that like to share their vines and make connections independently from any other service.

5. It's ideal for recipes or anything that shows a process speeded up

We don't doubt that there are thousands of weird and wonderful ways you can use Vine, but it particularly lends itself to following a process, like cooking something spectacular or getting to work on a morning. This means it'll be interesting for brands to tell stories, for people to record events, make tutorials and all kinds of other things...

And a few things we don't like...

1. All of the porn

We're not implying we're against porn here (or for it, stop putting pressure on us, OKAY?), but people uploading dodgy, adult content may well threaten the app for everyone.

According to reports this morning, a quick search for the #porn tag reveals all kinds of things you don't want to see over your breakfast. Vine itself is censorship-free and the idea is that the community will help to self regulate and flag up inappropriate content, but if people keep uploading dodgy stuff then Apple could wade in and deem it too x-rated for your poor, little eyes.

2. No ability to make things private (yet)

We get it, Vine and Twitter and social media generally is all about sharing and making your content public and accessible. But for various reasons that's an issue for some people, whether they're super secretive and a bit weird or have problems with stalkers. Although many people wouldn't use a private, locked option like you can activate on Twitter, the fact that option doesn't exist yet on the new app will definitely stop some people vining their way through the next few months.

3. Ads and ads and ads and ads

There aren't many yet, at all, but just like spam comments and weird ads have started to infiltrate Instagram a lot over the past few months, we imagine there'll make their way onto Vine pretty quickly. This is all the more reason to go looking for cool new content, but be aware that a new platform is really what you make of it, so follow great people and you'll have the best experience.

4. Babies, kittens and everything else we hate about the internet

All of the people that drive you insane with their incessant updates about cats and babies and food on other social networks will probably start using Vine at some point or another. So get ready for 64,348 vines of little Matilda crawling and crying. And crawling then crying. And crawling again.

5. It COULD all get a bit dull

The things that are getting us excited about Vine now, like cooking clips, stop motion thingies and silly voices could well start to grate on us a few months down the line. And when we say months, we mean hours.

If you haven't tried out Vine yet, then get it from iTunes for free.

If you're having friends and family round this Christmas you might want to give your home a bit of an entertainment revamp, whether you need to boost your speakers for a more immersive audio experience, find a better way of controlling your music and TV or invest in a new games console that'll keep everyone occupied we've got some suggestions for you.

The health and fitness tech market is growing rapidly, from wearable tracking devices like the Fitbit to more obscure medical gadgets that could have a big impact on those living with disabilities.

Each week we'll be bringing you a round-up of the best from Connected Health, our sister site that's dedicated to the world of health tech, fitness gadgets and awesome apps:

MappyHealth analyses Twitter data for health trends

Admittedly we spend far too much time tweeting about absolute rubbish on Twitter, but data mining company MappyHealth hopes to weed through the useless stuff and find out important information about health trends across the globe.

Nike+ Accelerator launches to drive digital fitness innovations

Nike is taking its commitment to digital health and fitness tracking a step further by launching an accelerator programme to encourage developers and fledgling companies to make awesome products and services using the Nike+ platform.

Google Now app gets a pedometer: The first step in Google's fitness tracking mission?

The Google Now application now has a way of tracking miles that have been walked and cycled, which may seem a bit "so what" to those without an Android phone, but could well be Google's first step into the world of mobile health and fitness tracking.

Tinke: The next must-have gadget in health and wellness tracking?

So we've seen a range of health and fitness tracking gadgets launch this year, but Tinke is set to become big in 2013 because it's not bothered about the steps you've taken or other trivial data like that, it wants to know your heart is performing well and it wants to allow you to find out in the simplest of ways.

Tactio's apps help teens lose weight and get fit

Health app company Tactio are producing a lot of products to track weight, BMI and other health metrics, but we're particularly interested in its niche products aimed at teens.

Yeah we know, a phone case for a Christmas present? Bit lame, right? Well not if you pick something from our list that doesn't just protect the new Samsung Galaxy SIII but looks awesome too.

We're reluctant to label a mobile phone case guide "for her", but don't worry, there's no diamante, pink fluff or Hello Kitty in sight...

For even more check out: Top 10 new Samsung Galaxy S3 cases and accessories

No one gets as crazily excited about Christmas time as little people, so make sure you buy your kids or teeny tiny relatives only the most fun, quirky and disruptive of presents this year.

We've come a long way since the days of the regular old laptop, now there are ultrabooks, tablets and laptops to contend with, as well as a bunch of other devices that straddle those categories, which are often referred to as laptop/tablet hybrids or convertibles.

Some allow you to rip them in two and ditch your keyboard if you'd rather have a tablet for a day and others are flexible, allowing you to bend and twist them into whatever you please (within reason, you can't create a balloon-like sausage dog).

If you're looking to really splash the cash on someone this Christmas and they're after a small laptop or tablet, then take a look at our top pick of bang up-to-date convertible devices running Windows 8 for the style conscious.

Although cool lens dials or handy tripods may seem like strange Christmas presents when the rest of your family are handing out sweaters and chocolates, there are plenty of gadgets and accessories available at the moment that'd make perfect stocking fillers for mobile photography lovers.

Whether you're buying for someone who's serious about their photography or just likes to mess around with Instagram now and again, we've collected together some of our favourite accessories that'll help them get the best results from their phone's camera. Or at least give them something to play around with on Christmas day.

The health and fitness tech market is growing rapidly, from wearable tracking devices like the Fitbit to more obscure medical gadgets that could have a big impact on those living with disabilities.

Each week we'll be bringing you a round-up of the best from Connected Health, our sister site that's dedicated to the world of health tech, fitness gadgets and awesome apps:

Will implantable health gadgets be big in 2013?

We've all become accustomed to health gadgets that hook onto our belt loops, sit in our pockets or strap onto our arms, but could gadgets that are implanted into our bodies be the next big health tech trend of 2013? Well if US-based company IntraPace has its way, gadgets that are implanted into user's digestive systems in order to stop them feeling hungry are going to be the next big thing. Ouch.

Will Jawbone's new Up bracelet fitness gadget be a success this time?

Jawbone is back with its Up bracelet, which may have failed on epic proportions when it was first released but all of the kinks have been ironed out (hopefully) and it's set to take on the likes of Nike's FuelBand or Fitbit's One. The challenge now is whether other brands have already overtaken Jawbone in this space and whether the bad press from the last version of the gadget will mean it's already doomed before people even get to try it.

Shine: A self-tracking gadget that's as cute as a button

Self-tracking devices may be advancing, but they still look a bit rubbish and out of place strapped to our arms, belt buckles and bras, right? Well, enter the Shine. Yep it looks like a watch battery or a teeny tiny spaceship, but the gadget created by Misfit Wearables aims to give users a great self-tracking experience in a cute package.

BetterFit Text is a super simple health texting service

Advances in mobile health don't have to be over-complicated, company BetterFit has been working on a way to make communications between doctors and patients much easier. The new system asks users questions in text messages and once they reply it determines the next steps.

Jeremy Hunt says UK can be "world leader" in health tech

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has revealed a plan of health tech objectives and goals for the next few years, which included providing patients with more tools to take charge of their health, like the ability to book appointments, look at test results, order repeat prescriptions and even access past records online or via mobile.

At an exclusive event in Paris last week, which the Shiny Shiny team were lucky enough to be invited along to, HP announced that it'll be teaming up with Universal Music Group to launch a new service called HP Connected Music, offering customers access to a huge catalogue of tracks, exclusive events and the chance to meet some of their favourite artists. But is HP Connected Music really all it's cracked up to be and worth the money? Or can you get all of the perks and tunes from other services?

HP Connected Music will be available to all of those with new HP Windows 8 desktop and notebook PCs and will provide them with streaming access to content from Universal's catalogue of more than 3,500 artists, like Lady Gaga and lovely little Bieber.

Although the "free access" isn't always free, you can listen to whatever you like for 90 days and for those with new Windows 8 HP Spectre and HP Envy PCs you get 10 free mp3 downloads per month for 90 days too. There's then the option to continue subscribing for a monthly fee, but we've had no official word about how much that'll cost.

However, it's also the access to private music events and VIP trips to meet your favourite artists that the HP team were keen to shout about and to give those at the event a taste of what's to come No Doubt performed its first concert in three years at the same venue.

Eric Cador, the Senior VP and General Manager of Printing and Personal Systems Group at HP said:

"Customers are looking for great entertainment on their personal devices and HP sees the PC as the heartbeat of the entertainment experience for today's consumers, letting them create, consume and share content they love.

"Working alongside Universal Music, we can pair our innovative Windows 8 hybrid, notebook and desktop consumer PCs with one-of-a-kind music experiences that give our customers access to some of the world's most popular artists."

Olivier Robert-Murphy, the Global Head of New Business at Universal, also shared his thoughts about the partnership:

"With the help of HP technology, we're looking forward to engaging with music fans across established markets, as well as in new territories where previously there have been no legal digital music services."

The new partnership makes sense for HP, as it differentiates its new suite of products from the competition by more than just hardware and firmly aligns the brand with Universal. However, Universal's portfolio of artists may be huge, but there are still going to be some music lovers who'll be disappointed and it's a shame the free music subscription runs out after 90 days, even if there are plenty of perks to entice those who want to dine with Fergie or take a shopping trip with J.Lo (two of the examples the HP team tried to tempt us with at the event).

HP Connected Music may certainly lure in those who are in two minds about which product to buy and want a music service already built-in to their new device. However, it'll remain to be seen whether it lives up to the hype and entices people more than other streaming services, like Spotify and Rara, or other brands that offer exclusive perks, like O2 and its Priority Moments.

While it may not be a big success for the HP brand, it'll be interesting to see whether this kind of built-in music service will become commonplace in the future, providing those who would normally shy away from music subscription streaming services with a way to listen to their favourite tracks and artists.

Most of you will have seen Facebook's efforts to compare the social network to all kinds of things on its official page. For instance, did you know Facebook is just like Halloween? A swimming pool? A chair? No neither did we, but the quirky new "Facebook is like..." campaign has certainly got people talking for all kinds of reasons both good and bad.

The most recent comparison has been between Facebook and a birthday cake, because according to the team:

"Birthday cakes are made for people to be together. They give friends a place to gather and celebrate. But too much cake probably isn't healthy. So birthday cake is a lot like Facebook."

That's a pretty fair statement, but also suggests those at the social network are well aware that too much Facebook time isn't a good thing. So here are our top five tips and Chrome plugins for kicking your Facebook addiction and stopping it driving you crazy on a daily basis.

1. Block out the things that annoy you

If it's not your Facebook addiction that bothers you but the fact certain things on the site make you angry, then just remove it all. Simple.

There are specific Google Chrome plug-ins to get rid of most awful things already, like mentions of Chris Brown (Chris Brownout), baby photos (Unbaby.me) and politics (unpolitic.me). However, if you've got a specific bugbear then In My Words is for you, as it's a Chrome extension that allows you to replace any word or phrase you don't like with one you do.

2. Cut down on stalking by only visiting Facebook when you've got notifications

If you find yourself aimlessly scrolling through photos of people you don't really give a crap about, then instead only allow yourself to visit Facebook when you've got actual notifications to check out.

Facebook Nanny only allows you on Facebook for 15 seconds if you don't have a message, like or comment and even if you do you've only got a minute to look at it. It's a great option during the day when you want to stay on top of things but don't really have much time to spare.

3. Restrict your time on Facebook

If you just want to stop spending so much time on Facebook (or any other site for that matter) then download the StayFocusd plugin and just give yourself a few minutes. You might still stalk, procrastinate and get angry, but the less time you spend doing those things the more likely you'll not want to do them in the future. Maybe.

4. Delete, block and sort your "friends"

You can whine about Facebook all day, but unless you have a personal issue with Zuckerberg it's really the people you have as "friends" that get to you. If you're stalking someone too much block them so you can't see them or anything to do with them, if someone's annoying you hide their updates or delete them. It's not rocket science.

Sort people into lists too, so you can share content with who you want to and never feel silly about an update that your boss may or may not have seen.

5. Turn off all push and email notifications

We've all been there. You're finally in the zone, getting on with work and being really awesome when a notification pops up on your phone about that girl from school commenting on your status and you suddenly wonder what she's up to, what she looks like now and who she's dating. It's then not long until you've fallen into the Facebook rabbit hole and said goodbye to an hour of working time. Turn off all notifications so that you can look when you want to and when you're working you won't be distracted.

Fitbit's original Fitness Tracker was one of the first gadgets of its kind to give regular people (not sickeningly fit athletes) a way of tracking their activity throughout the day. Fast forward to today and there are all kinds of monitoring and fitness tracking devices on the market, so in response to the slew of new rivals Fitbit has changed its game a little, redesigning its first product to the tough and slimline One and the budget Zip, a souped-up pedometer. With a face.

The Zip is a rather basic option in comparison to the brand's previous gizmos, with a much more affordable price tag. However, it's not just like a regular pedometer because it's been built solely for those who want to not only just count their steps throughout the day, but keep an eye on their calorie intake and take a closer look at their daily data via the comprehensive Fitbit app or web dashboard with sharing and gaming features too.

Design

The actual gadget is around the size of a 50p piece and measures less than an inch. It's tiny, but also comes with a silicone holster, meaning you can attach it to your clothes. It comes in a range of candy colours, which on the press materials where there's an army of 'em looks a bit garish, but kinda cute on their own. We have a magenta one and we don't know whether we love or resent the fact a little pink gadget is (quite literally) staring at us from our crotch area, but we're not going to read too much into the connotations...

The Zip has a stamp-sized monochrome screen, which you simply tap to display different results, like calories burned, distance travelled, steps taken, the time and a little smiley.

Just like Fitbit's other products, you can attach the Zip to your trouser pockets, your bra or anywhere else that's "clippable". Due to an incident on the tube with the Ultra on my bra (it fell off, I had to put my hand up my top, I was scarred for life, so was everyone around me), I opted to clip it onto my trouser pocket and it felt fairly secure most of the time, but did pop off now and again. I don't know if I'm just particularly active or that's a bit of a flaw in the design. Although you'd expect a fitness tracker to withstand all manner of physical activity...

Data & Tracking

In the box with your new Zip you'll find a tiny receiver that slots into one of your computer's USB ports, just attach that and the Zip will use Bluetooth to sync up with either an app on your phone (only iOS devices for now, sorry Android users), a web dashboard or both.

We like that you can earn little badges for certain achievements, which some may find annoying but we know will encourage many to want to earn more, keep checking back and maybe walk instead of get the bus. Maybe.

The step tracking was fairly accurate, although you can go into the web dashboard and add in your stride length if you feel like it and want an even more accurate reading.

Obviously the Zip can't watch and monitor what you eat, so you'll have to manually add in your meals and snacks too and then the device will measure calories burned accordingly.

The Zip runs off a simple watch battery, which Fitbit claims will keep your Zip zipping for four to six months, but we just wonder whether anyone will be bothered to add a new one once it's started dying...

So come on then, adorable but pointless? Or useful?

Well, all of the above. The Zip is really accurate when it comes to tracking your steps throughout the day, automatically syncs without fail and we can't get enough of the fact that you can tap the screen to see different types of data.

The only drawback of the Zip is the design of the silicone holster, we're not sure how it could be more secure, but attaching it sometimes just doesn't feel safe enough and there were nearly a few accidents when the poor, smiling, little Zip could have been left all alone on the pavement. FOREVER.

We also wonder whether we'll keep up with it, attaching it everyday and removing it from clothes so it doesn't get put in the watch seems tedious and makes us wonder whether devices that you actually wear, like Nike's FuelBand will suit some people much more.

You can buy the Zip in a range of different colours from the online Fitbit store for £49.99.

Last year we wrote up our 10 Girl geek Halloween costume ideas and judging from how many of you have been visiting that feature over the past few weeks you're going to be taking Halloween very VERY seriously this year.

So, instead of pulling together a general girl geek list we've split up the Halloween costume ideas into categories, like badass women from the worlds of film and TV, our favourite comic book heroines and villains and video game hotties.

Related: Girl geek Halloween costumes comic book edition: Catwoman, Emma Frost, She-Ra

Last year we wrote up our 10 Girl geek Halloween costume ideas and judging from how many of you have been visiting that feature over the past few weeks you're going to be taking Halloween very VERY seriously this year.

So, instead of pulling together a general girl geek list we've split up the Halloween costume ideas into categories, like badass women from the worlds of film and TV, video game hotties and here we have some of our favourite comic book heroines and villains.

Related: Girl geek Halloween costumes film & TV edition: Leeloo, Hit Girl, Neytiri

Last year we wrote up our 10 Girl geek Halloween costume ideas and judging from how many of you have been visiting that feature over the past few weeks you're going to be taking Halloween very VERY seriously this year.

So, instead of pulling together a general girl geek list we've split up the Halloween costume ideas into categories, like video game hotties and comic book characters, but let's start with some of our favourite badass women from the worlds of horror, sci-fi and geeky film and TV.

Yesterday the whole of the world imploded when Metro France reported that old private messages are now appearing on user's timelines for all of their friends to see. OH DEAR LORD.

Although the rumours began over in France it wasn't long before people from all over the globe were scrolling back through their timelines (most of the problems seemed to occur in 2007, 2008 and 2009) and finding that some of their once private messages had been made visible.

Since everything started kicking off yesterday evening A LOT has happened, the story was picked up by every major news outlet, people started freaking out about what they'd said, others were frantically going through their Facebook accounts and making everything private and some users even went to extreme measures and deleted their profiles. FOREVER.

This morning, after an official statement from Facebook in TechCrunch, it seems that most agree there wasn't a private message security breach after all, but the messages we're seeing on our profiles are just old wall posts that were written back when we were all excitedly using Facebook, back when timelines didn't allow us to dig up the past, back when comments and likes didn't exist and back when we didn't have as much self restraint about what we said for all to see.

Here's a snippet of the statement:

"Every report we've seen, we've gone back and checked. We haven't seen one report that's been confirmed [of a private message being exposed]. A lot of the confusion is because before 2009 there were no likes and no comments on wall posts. People went back and forth with wall posts instead of having a conversation [in the comments of single wall post.]"

And...

"A small number of users raised concerns after what they mistakenly believed to be private messages appeared on their Timeline. Our engineers investigated these reports and found that the messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users' profile pages. Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy."

Although all of that certainly seems plausible (and makes perfect sense in retrospect), there are still many users who are still adamant the messages they saw were private and claim that Facebook is just trying to cover up its mistake by calling them all crazed liars.

Obviously it'll be fascinating to see how this all pans out, whether there has in fact been a leak among some users or whether it's all just us working ourselves into a frenzy. However in the cold light of day we don't think it matters too much whether it's true or not, because it's taught us some very, very interesting things about how we behave, our attitude to Facebook and all of the bitchy things we've been saying.

We're all saying too many bitchy things online

I was with a few different people when I heard about the "Facebook message leak apocalypse" and followed the story really closely online. The main thing that became apparent from everyone's crazed tweets was just how many people were worried that the scandalous/dirty/cheating messages or those bitchy things that were said by X about Y could be exposed (myself totally included).

Poppy Dinsey (@poppyd) the founder of WIWT.com summed it up brilliantly in a tweet last night:

"You know the scene in Mean Girls where photocopied pages from the burn book go all around the school? That's Facebook's privacy leak."

We don't think a (maybe fake) Facebook security breach will change humanity and stop us all being such dirty little gossipers, but maybe we should all take a long, hard look at ourselves and the things we've been saying and just be a little, well, nicer because there's always a chance someone else (i.e. Mark Zuckerberg) could get their hands on your burn book at anytime they please.

We now use the social network in very different ways

Even if some of those old posts were private messages and others were wall posts, it's clear that we did use Facebook in a totally different way a few years ago.

Now users generally write on timelines when they want to ask a quick question, share a link or post a photo, but back in 2007 posts that we know were on our profiles are much longer, rambling and full of things we wouldn't want others to be reading nowadays. We imagine a whole research paper could be written on this very subject, but it's partially to do with the design of the social network changing dramatically over the years and partially to do with us getting more savvy (or secretive and bitchy) when it comes to what we say and share online.

We probably need to spend less time on Facebook

When you found out about the security breach what were you most worried about? Bitchy things? Personal information? Those drunken messages you sent to your crush? (NOT GUILTY) Whatever it was it's scary to think many of us use the social network so much to write about super personal things and even if there wasn't a breach, just imagine if there was one an even more epic scale in the future? Scary, huh? Maybe we should take things into the realms of emails, call people or oh god talk about our feelings face to face? Scrap that, we'll stick with emails.

Some people get REALLY aggressive if someone tries to prove them wrong

It's no surprise that last night some users were getting really upset about having their private messages exposed and others thought they were all just being hysterical.

Twitter arguments are always fascinating, but last night it was even more interesting to see how defensive others got, so as well as being less bitchy, let's all be a little less agressive too, OK?

The health and fitness tech market is growing rapidly, from wearable tracking devices like the Fitbit to more obscure medical gadgets that could have a big impact on those living with disabilities.

Each week we'll be bringing you a round-up of the best from Connected Health, our sister site that's dedicated to the world of health tech, fitness gadgets and awesome apps:

Cyclist must-have: Helmet sticker that calls for help if you fall

The ICEdot sticker (In Case of Emergency) is a little sticker for cycling helmets, which uses motion and impact sensors to send out an alert if you fall off your bike.

Scosche launches RHYTHM pulse monitor fitness gadget

Scosche's new pulse monitor and workout gadget allows you to track exercise, keep an eye on your heart rate and record runs.

The Amron Rinser is a toothbrush and a fountain

A quirky toothbrush from Amron that's an interchangeable brush AND a water fountain in one.

Can Cardiio really monitor your heart rate using your phone's camera?

A new app called Cardiio promises to read your heart rate just by taking a look at the colour of your face, but will it work in practice?

Fitbit launches improved Ultra fitness gadget called One

Fitbit has revamped its Ultra tracking gadget with wireless data syncing and a splashproof exterior and has named it the One.

Fitbit launches the affordable new Zip fitness gadget

Fitbit launched a compact and more affordable device this week called the Zip, which tracks your steps and keeps a record of the calories you've burned.

Kinect interface allows stroke victim to send basic emails

Blogger Chad Ruble has created an interface for his mum using a Kinect, which allows her to communicate solely with gestures and send emails about how she's doing throughout the day.

Yesterday Twitter rolled out a new redesign focused solely on photos and a number of changes have been made to the way we display our recent snaps, use them to make our profiles look better and upload them to the site.

The most noticeable change is the introduction of a new header photo (look at Red Bull's Twitter page above), which will be visible across all devices and sit at the top right hand side of profiles. Users and companies are able to upload a custom image or select a pre-made theme from the website to use instead. Although all kinds of sites and services have a top banner in this style it's no surprise a number of commentators have started making comparisons between Twitter's new header photo and Zuckerberg's cover photo already.

Background images may not look too different, but Twitter has enabled those wanting to get a little bit creative to have more control over the way it's positioned on the screen, which is great for brands and self promotion.

Finally, images that have been recently uploaded will be much more prominent on profiles and interestingly you don't have the option to upload images with their party sites like Yfrog and Twitpic anymore, you're forced to do it through Twitter and Photobucket's service.

The changes certainly look good and Twitter's Advertising Blog focuses on the way the new photo features could help companies using the micro-blogging platform enhance their brand:

"Now marketers can instantly engage Twitter users with rich images while creating a more consistent visual identity across devices."

It's interesting to see Twitter expand further than its 140 character tweets and much more into the realm of photos, forcing them to take a more prominent position on profiles and giving both brands and individuals alike more freedom to display different images in different ways.

As much as we try to embrace change here at Shiny Shiny, we do worry that added features will take something away from a service that's so popular because of its simplicity and make it more like Facebook. However, as more young people migrate away from Facebook and to Twitter (according to stats earlier in the year), it makes sense for photos to become a firm part of our Twitter experience considering mobile photography has meant they've become such a firm part of our lives.

We've had some problems viewing the new design here at Shiny Media HQ, but just make sure you have the most recent version of the app downloaded and you should see an option to get started and add in your header image if you visit Settings > Design > Customize Your Own. If you don't see that option quite yet, then just be patient.

Last night Apple announced its new iPhone 5 device complete with an improved camera, featuring an 8MP sensor and a dynamic low light mode. The company was then quick to start demo-ing its brand new panorama feature, which allows you to take a 360° shot that results in a big 28MP image.

However, if you like the look of big, sweeping panorama images but don't want to splash your cash on a new iPhone 5 to get them, then try these great alternatives for both iOS and Android devices.

This morning we conducted a survey the only way we know how, by reaching out to our Twitter followers (big THANK YOU guys). We asked whether anyone really has an iPod touch other than teens who aren't allowed (or don't have the cash) to get themselves a smartphone.

And you know what? It turns out a lot of people REALLY love them and they're not the rubbish, poor relation to the iPhone many seem to think. We heard from pre-teens who want to play around with apps, teens who use them for music, fitness fans who prefer taking them to the gym over a phone, teachers who want to play tunes and use apps in the classroom, Android users who want a bit of Apple in their lives, older people who use one to control their home cinema system, we could really go on and on and on with this...

So it seems the iPod touch is a firm favourite among little ones (as we all expected), but it takes on a range of different roles regardless of how old you are too. We're so sorry iPod touch, we had you all wrong.

Apple's string of announcements last night saw a number of updates to the iPod touch and if it's fairly popular already we can only imagine that the new changes will make it even more of a hit in the future.

So here are our ten reasons why the iPod touch might be cool again and not just among 13 year old chavs who use them to play N-Dubz at the back of the bus.

1. New 4-inch retina display makes everything bigger and better

It seems everything Apple-related has a retina display now and the iPod touch is no exception, the screen has stretched out to 4 inches and everything looks more "sharp, vivid and life-like" than ever before, making it ideal for gaming, watching video content or taking photos.

2. Apple introduces EarPods for better sounds and more comfort

They sound like some relation to the xenomorphs from Alien, but they're not (honest). They're Apple's new earbuds and they've been re-designed "based on the geometry of your ear", which is marketing speak for "they feel nice and make sounds better".

3. It's just got lighter and thinner

The next generation iPod touch is just 6.1mm thick, and weighs in at 88 grams, so don't worry about the fact the screen is a little bigger, the slim and lightweight design still means it's pocket-friendly.

4. The "loop" for clumsy hands

We're not entirely convinced that this new little wrist strap attached to the back of the iPod Touch will be useful or stay intact after you've thrown it around a bit, but it's a good addition for those who want to make the most of the device's new camera.

5. Its new iSight camera makes photos look better

The iPod touch's camera has had some upgrades, including a 5MP backside illuminated sensor, f.2.4, autofocus, image stabilisation, face detection and 5-element lens. The front-facing FaceTime HD camera also jumps to 720p resolution for improved FaceTime video calling.

6. Panorama feature lets you take sweeping shots

It's not just the iPhone 5 that comes with Apple's new panorama feature, but the iPod touch allows you to take sweeping 360° shots too by just tapping a button and moving your camera around a scene.

7. Its dual-core A5 chip means seven times faster graphics

The iPhone 4S's A5 processor is now inside the iPod Touch, offering dual-core gaming capabilities, making it 7x faster than the previous generation iPod Touch.

8. Improved battery life means you can run/listen/jump/dance for longer

Whatever you happen to use your iPod touch for, you can now do it for longer, as Apple claims the new device has 40 hours of music playback and 8 hours of video, which is a small improvement over previous models.

9. It's just so damn colourful

The newest version of the iPod Touch comes in a range of different colours, including black, silver, red, green and blue and according to Apple it's been bonded directly to the body of the device, not just painted on, making it super vibrant. The question is, which one will you choose?

10. Airplay allows you to stream content to other devices

Apple's Airplay feature means that you can stream content to other devices or mirror what's on your iPod touch to everyone in the room wirelessly.

Despite the whole raft of changes to the iPod touch we know it still might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you've already got an iPhone or plan on upgrading to the 5.

However, its improved, bigger screen, awesome camera and faster processor means it's well and truly stepped out of the iPhone's shadow and can become a handy and awesome gadget in its own right and not just synonymous with chavvy tweens.

You can pre-order the new iPod touch from the Apple website on the 14th September and prices start at £249.